Ira Glass On Storytelling
Abstract This four part video tells you how to effectively tell a story, as explained by Ira Glass. Glass is the host of the very successful radio show "This American Life", and it even had a short-run T.V. show. Ira distinguishes the unique qualities of storytelling for broadcasting from traditional storytelling in that broadcasting should have two basic building blocks: an anecdote and a moment of reflection. In a good story both are needed. Glass mentions that one of the most time consuming parts of telling a story is actually finding a story to tell. If you as a storyteller are finding the story is not turning out the way you had envisioned, it is necessary to be tough, "kill" the story, and start over. Key Concepts Anecdote: Something that drives the story and moves it forward. It raises questions while answering them along the way. It should be a sequence of events that keeps the audience interested and moves everything along. Moment of Reflection: '''A moment in the story that pulls back into something larger. It's the bigger point of the story that is being communicated to the audience. There is a learning curve with storytelling that everyone must overcome. In the early stages of filmmaking/broadcasting, it is normal for your work not to live up to your personal standards. Your taste in "good" work allows you to see when something isn't quite good. Glass says the most important thing you can do to overcome this is create a large volume of work with deadlines. Two of the common pitfalls in broadcasting are trying to be someone you are not and talking too much about yourself. People value individuality and having a unique voice, and that quality is lost if you are "trying to sound like someone on T.V." As for unnecessarily involving yourself in the story; the drama comes from people interacting, and that won't work if there aren't enough characters interacting with each other. Examples of Effective Storytelling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZFp8ldcTx4 This documentary about a man who lived 40 years in isolation done by Vice is a great example of how to effectively tell a story. It begins with an anecdote of the man talking about his life living in complete isolation on a farm in Chile and how the government wants his land. It raises questions along the way such as why is this man living alone? What happened in his past? Will he be legally forced to leave behind his property? The story ends with a moment of reflection about this man's desire to preserve old cultural traditions and values and his ability to endure the many hardships that have come his way. Resources and Further Readings "NPR's Scott Simon: How to Tell a Story"''' A story must have a point. It is most effectively told if it has rhythm and is broken up into small consumable chunks. Documentary Storytelling Bernard Bernard in this article discusses the necessity of effective storytelling in documentary film. The film must have an apparent subject (what the film is about) and a deeper subject (the larger point being made). Similarly to Glass, Bernard notes that there should be a moment of reflection on the part of the author. How to Write a Personal Anecdote Writing an anecdote requires a strong sense of purpose. Know why you are strategically using an anecdote and think about the deeper message it is conveying. How to Tell a Good Story This Forbes article provides 5 tips on storytelling, and it discusses how storytelling is important for confidence, leadership, people skills, and teaching others. The Art of Storytelling as Told by Experts: Be Curious, Be Playful, Be a Polymath When telling a story, it is important for the author to be passionate and have fun. If they push themselves to innovate and be fully invested in what they are doing, great stories will be told. Key Words Documentary Story telling Citations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxJ3FtCJJA[[Category:Reading]] Category:Documentary Category:Radio Category:Videos __FORCETOC__